Final Customer Purchasing from an Intermediary of the Product

Use Steps: Use steps include all the Final customer's activities to find the appropriate product category at the Intermediary, to choose among the alternatives to the product and to take delivery of the product.

A.
Knowledge: Add knowledge

3.
Process where product is used: Explain how product can or should operate in customer cost system

B. Acquire

Shipping or availability information

No.	Year	SIC	Note
1	2002	4813	Wireless cell phone shops help buyers sort through the cacophony of options. Many customers ask about VoiceStream Wireless, the traditional low-cost provider. When the sales representatives pull out a map that shows the gaps in VoiceStream's coverage, particularly in the West. "Most people who come in here choose AT&T or Verizon. They want low prices, but they want good quality too. Price have come down so much that now they can get both," he says.
2	2004	5251	To deal with information gaps that cause problems for customers, Home Depot is in the middle of a four-year software project to automate quotes, scheduling, and order tracking. Lowe's claims to be further along on a similar software system for installation order tracking. While Lowe's just started advertising installations, the unit is growing as fast as Home Depot's.
3	1987	5411	Grocery Express nearly failed due to poor inventory and delivery. It restocked the shelves with 3000 items, added new items, expanded hours, and gives out reports on the day's produce before people order.
4	1988	5411	Inter-Ad introducing a computerized directory, the Information Station. In addition to providing aisle locations of every product in the store, video station gives customers nutritional information, meal plans, coupons, recipes and other promotions.
5	1993	5900	FD Titus & Son is equipping its sales staff with AT&T's EO 880 personal communicator. So, sales reps have ready access to info about the 14,000 products in the company catalog, and they can send a fax to a customer when stalled in freeway traffic.
6	1996	5961	Schwab offers PC software, called the Equalizer, which allows investors to call up stock info, access rsch reports, and make a trade order through a PC.

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